Smooth Criminal
by Meeyr
Summary: Intro Gambit into Movieverse
1. Unexpected Guest

Smooth Criminal By Meeyr  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Logan rolled up to the mansion on his Harley. "Hope old Scott doesn't mind that I wrecked his bike" he chuckled to himself as he stepped off his new ride. He left the keys in the starter seeing as no one was going to steal his bike right outside the mansion's front steps. It had been a year since he had left the mansion in search of clues about his past. He had found out some information up in Canada, mostly concerning rumors of an old government facility in the artic that supposedly had been a training ground for elite special ops soldiers. What made this information sketchy at first was that this facility was American based, but without any other leads Logan decided to go searching for the mysterious complex. After many months of tedious searching, Logan had stumbled upon the remains of the facility. From what he could tell it appeared that it had been burned down and then abandoned. That was until he stumbled upon a hidden underground access door among the ruins. This led to a laboratory in which he found some of his answers. According to the files that had been left, Logan had been part of a special military task force designed for espionage and guerilla warfare. Unfortunately this program had lost many of its pioneering soldiers in its early years due to human frailty. Ordinary soldiers, even those considered the best at what they did, could not survive the missions that this program was designed to carry out. In order to correct this, the government in charge started attempting to recruit genetically gifted humans that had suddenly been appearing. These "mutants" were screened and tested until the facility found a handful that fit their profile of durable, stealthy predators. In short, they found men that could and would survive at any cost. Apparently one these "mutants" who fit this profile was Logan himself, along with a handful of other faceless names. But, with so much money invested in this program the government in charge decided to take no chances and brought in a young geneticist named Nathaniel Essex to enhance these already spectacular subjects. Essex, along with his superiors, decided to encase the subject's bones with a high density, near indestructible metal called adamantium. Once again disaster hit when only four of the "mutant" group lived through the operation and even they developed amnesia. The government fired Dr. Essex for incompentency and decided that enough money had been wasted in this program; so four soldiers would have to do. The survivors were then retrained with only their names as any connection to their former lives. Even these were eventually phased out as each man was given a codename to operate under. Logan's was Wolverine, of course, with the others being Deadpool, Maverick and one Sabertooth. While this was a tremendous find, Logan unfortunately found no other leads and was only filled with more questions that would remain unanswered. He then decided it was time to end his exodus and return to Xavier and the x-men, which brings him back to his arrival at the mansion.  
  
Not wanting to make a big commotion about his return, Logan just walks in the mansion expecting to see the regular commotion that surrounds any school. Oddly though the mansion seemed to be deserted without a single light on other than the outside one illuminating the front door. Must not have summer school thought Logan as he wandered through the halls. Even so, Marie should still be around being that she doesn't really have anywhere else to go. But, a lot can happen in a year and so Logan deviated from his purposeless wandering and headed to Xavier's office.  
  
"Dis old man be even more paranoid than I thought" muttered the intruder. He had been searching for hours and still hadn't come across what he was looking for. With Sabertooth causing a ruckus in downtown New York and therefore drawing the x-men away from home, Remy had time but it was slowly running out. The files weren't in the computer as he had already uselessly hacked through the whole system and so they must be on paper filed away somewhere. The million-dollar question, or at least it should be but since doing what he is told kept him alive, was where were they? They couldn't be any higher than a man could reach from a wheelchair and so that left a secret compartment concealed somewhere below chest level. But he had checked every wooden inch of the floor as well as every picture frame and aspect of the old coots desk. Deep in thought the thief unconsciously started playing with a cane that leaned up against the bookshelf behind the man's desk. "Mon Dieu," he muttered. A cane, what would a man completely crippled below the waste need with a cane. Spinning around in the chair holding the cane, the thief examined the bookshelf. What was out of place? Modern evolutionary principles, encyclopedia Britannica, motivational techniques, Prefontaine.Prefontaine? What would a cripple want with a biography on a long distance runner? Limiting himself to the height of an old man in a wheelchair, the thief reached up with the cane and pressed on the conspicuous book. Without so much as a whisper the bookshelf lowered into the floor and came to rest with the book at shoulder level. Then, not seconds after it settled to a rest, the three books to the right of the biography swung out to reveal a small safe. In seconds the thief cracked the safe combination and found himself staring at a folder fat with papers that, after inspection, contained the information that he was being paid to acquire. "You still got it Remy, but just have to leave out the hours of searching to keep your reputation intact," the thief chuckled to himself. Just then, as he was standing to leave, Remy heard the door behind him open, followed by a low deep growl.  
  
Rage enveloped Logan. Of all the things he expected to see upon entering the room of perhaps the one man he respected, a thief was not high on that list or appreciated for that matter. From what his heightened eyesight could distinguish, the thief was covered in a dark brown trench coat with only what could be a black bodysuit underneath. He had long reddish-brown hair that hung to the nape of his neck. He was tall, about 6'2ish, and from what he could tell, was lean like a panther. Nothing Logan couldn't handle, especially since he had the advantage of being able to see in the dark. "Spill it bub, or I will be spilling your blood all over these walls like paint, and get your hands where I can see them," Logan growled at the back of the man.  
  
Remy raised his hands in conceit, keeping the valued folder in his left hand, thus allowing his deadly right hand it's needed freedom. He still didn't know the identity of his captor, but, from what he had studied on the x-men, he had a good guess. Still his orders not to kill anyone were clear and therefore he had to make sure. "As temptin' as dat offer is homme, I tink I'll pass. See here dees hands are, right where you wanted dem," Remy said, shaking his hands a little to show that he was being a good boy and cooperating. "Don suppose you could give me a name to go wit dat winning personality?" he chuckled.  
  
"Names Wolverine bub, and if you keep it up, it's not my personality that you will have to worry about," Logan growled back, infuriated by the confidence that this upstart radiated.  
  
"Be dat as it may, your name does mean something to me homme," Remy said as he slowly turned his head to the side, exposing his glowing red eyes to his captor. "It means dat Gambit don gotta hold back wit you," and in the instant that his eyes caught Wolverine off guard, Remy flipped his right hand out, sliding the literal "ace up his sleeve" out. In the very same motion, Remy transferred potential energy into kinetic energy, charging the playing card in brilliant flash of red, spun on his left foot and threw the deadly ace of spades in a side-armed motion at Wolverine catching him directly in the chest.  
  
Pain was all Logan felt as he was thrown out of the room by the explosion of the card. Pain and shock at the speed of his assailant. So much for this joker being a pushover thought Logan before the animalistic rage that he kept bottled inside him took over his mind. After that, the only thought going through his mind was how many pieces he could tear this man into.  
  
"Come on mon ami, Gambit know he didn't kill you," Remy said right before the enraged Canadian burst back into the room. Anticipating this from his research on Wolverine, Remy instantly hopped onto the desk from his previously crouched position by the side of the desk. Using his momentum, Remy then sprung from the desk and flipped over the charging Wolverine who proceeded to crash into the desk, destroying it in his fury. "Too slow old man," Remy laughed as he hurled three more charged playing cards in a backhanded blur with his left hand, while using his right hand to secure the folder in his waistband in the small of his back. As usual, the cards connected right on as they connected with a turning Wolverine's chest in a bright explosion. Unfortunately for Remy, he had been staring directly at the bright explosion, and his light-sensitive eyes were temporarily blinded. Got to get my sunglasses on, he thought. But, in the split second Remy donned his shades, he was greeted by the punishing shoulder of Wolverine hammering into his chest, hurling him across the entryway of the mansion. At least I'm away from him for the moment he thought.  
  
"You got spunk kid, too bad I'll have to cut it out of ya," snarled Wolverine as he stalked this so-called Gambit. He was good Logan realized, very good for someone who couldn't be more than 23 years old. Cyclops would laugh his snotty ass off if he heard I got beat up by a 23 year old. This thought alone was enough for Logan to calm his berserker rage enough to attack intelligently. He knew that another careless charge would just lead to his ass on the floor again, and his healing factor was already being pushed more than usual. It was far from its limit, but with the firepower this kid was throwing around, it wouldn't take much to push it over the edge. He would just have to get in close where he could dissect this kid at will. Still stalking forwards Logan noticed Gambit detach a short strange pipe of his left leg. Anticipating another throwing attack he crouched low, arms flexed at his side, waiting for the kid's toss that Logan would turn into Gambit's demise.  
  
Thank God thought Remy, his feint had worked. He had hoped that he could slow Wolverine's advance by acting like he was going throw his collapsed adamantium staff. Wolverine's pause gave Remy time to telescope his bo staff to its full length with a spin and a twist. Following this motion, Remy spun the staff in a defensive spin and transferred it solely into his left hand, once again giving his right hand access to his arsenal of stored playing cards. Now completely ready for the inevitable attack, Remy grinned at his opponent. Oddly though, Wolverine didn't attack. Remy was confused at first, but then realized that the rest of the x-men could arrive at any time and as formidable as he was, Remy was no match for the whole team. Dis needs to end now, he surmised. "Gambit don remember any of da oompa loompas of Charlie and the Chocolate bein' dis vicious. You musta been a reject, eh homme," he said with a grin.  
  
Upon hearing this Logan lost it. He knew the kid was going to try and bait him since he knew he was running out of time, but he hadn't been ready for this. So, with quickness belaying his size, Logan rushed Gambit. He ducked inside the too-slow swing of Gambit's staff and slashed wildly at the young Cajun with his left hand, scoring a hit across his chest. Luckily for Remy, when he saw that his downswing attack with his staff was going to miss his assailant, he spun his body around so that Wolverine's left handed swipe just grazed his chest instead of impaling him on those unforgiving claws. In the midst of his spin, Remy, ignoring the tremendous pain searing his chest, grabbed his spare deck of cards from his right pocket. Upon completing his spin, he found himself facing Wolverine's side as the Canadian attacked with a backhanded swipe at his head with his right hand. Instinctively dropping into a crouch to keep his head connected to his body, Remy charged the whole deck of cards in his right hand and unleashed them into Wolverine's chest as if he was playing fifty-two pickup. With a tremendous explosion, Wolverine was launched through a wall and lost consciousness. His healing factor momentarily overloaded by the ferocity of the attack.  
  
"Bang, you dead mon ami," panted a bleeding Remy as stumbled out the mansion's front door looking for something to take him away from this place. Spotting a parked Harley just to the side of the mansion's front steps, Remy thanked all the saints in heaven that its owner had left the keys in the ignition. He didn't care if he'd killed Wolverine, though his employer would be angry if he in fact did. All he could think of as he tore off into the night, was that he had used all his luck tonight by getting away from Wolverine alive.  
  
  
  
*Begin Disclaimer* I don't own any of this stuff. I don't own the X-men or a Harley or a Mansion or a.wait, I do own a deck of cards. Ha, take that you sue-happy greedy bastards! .And when I say sue-happy greedy bastards, I mean that with the utmost respect.don't sue me. *End Disclaimer*  
  
A/N (at least I think that means author's notes.hey, I own them too, cool) Yeah, so this is my first fan-fic, even though I haven't collected comics in some many years that I actually have some extra money now. Be proud of the fact that all of your fiction has inspired me to write my own better story. Well, better because what I want to happen in the story happens. Anyways, read and review if you want to. Reviews are appreciated, as are flames (that's bad reviews I think). Basically, I hope you guys like my story but if you don't, that's ok too. Free speech and all that. Don't know when the rest will be out (because this was the only part I actually knew what to write), or how long this whole mess will be, but stick with it because I will. Oh yeah, how was the fight scene? If you are going to review, for the love of God, tell me what you think about the fight scene. Reason being is that there will be more of them and if they suck, I will alter them. The next one will be a little faster pace, maybe to the tune of Disturbed's song, 'The Sickness." I don't own them either, just the CD. 


	2. Friendly Faces

Smooth Criminal By Meeyr  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Xavier was puzzled as he and the x-men headed back to the mansion in the blackbird. The whole incident with Sabertooth did not make any sense. As soon as they arrived, Sabertooth had fled the downtown area. He led them to the outskirts of the city and never really engaged the team. Maybe Sabertooth had known he was outmatched against the x-men, but this still seemed very out of character to Xavier. When Sabertooth finally did attack, Xavier also noticed that he held back a little from really injuring any of the x-men. Cyclops had taken some minor scratches to his shoulder, as had Beast but instead to his chest, both of which Jean had seen to. Maybe he was being paranoid, Xavier thought, but with the x-men's temporarily reduced lineup (Katherine Pryde, Samuel Guthrie, Robert Drake and Jubilation Lee all taking care of personal matters) things should have been worse. Sabertooth was a very formidable opponent, much like their own prodigal son Wolverine, and any encounter could end up being a disaster. The thought of Logan brought a smile to Xavier's face. He had a tremendous amount of respect for the surly Canadian and immediately wondered how he was. Xavier privately wished Logan would come back and make the x-men complete. Not that his x-men weren't formidable without Logan, just that he brought a controlled ruthlessness to the team that it was lacking. Xavier knew that someday his x-men would come across a foe that would need to be eliminated swiftly, and without Wolverine, his team would hold back this killing blow until emotionally driven over the edge. Unfortunately, Xavier knew that one of his students would probably have to be in serious peril to bring his team to this point and that was a risk Xavier wanted to avoid. Suddenly something triggered in Xavier's mind. Logan, he could sense him and he was in a tremendous amount of pain. Xavier cursed himself for letting his mind wander and believing that it was mere coincidence that he was suddenly thinking about Logan. He noticed Jean's head snap up to alertness and look to him in concern. She had felt it also. "Scott, put us down in front of the mansion immediately. Logan is at the mansion and something terrible has happened to him," Xavier said failing to keep the concern out of his voice.  
  
Marie was torn. She was horrified by what could have happened to Logan that disturbed the professor this badly, but also happy that Logan was back. She had lost her little crush on him over his absence, but she still loved Logan in her own little way. She raced out of the blackbird as it settled to a halt, ignoring Scott's cries for her to wait for the team. Immediately Marie noticed the mansions doors hanging wide open and the blood on the floor of the entryway illuminated by the porch light. She sprinted through the open doors, quickly scanning the dark entryway. As her eyes adjusted, Marie spotted a crumpled shape through what appeared to be a whole in the wall that separated the entryway and the living room. She raced though the doors to the room, flipped on the light, and was in no way prepared for what she saw. Marie could only scream as her mine tried to comprehend what her eyes showed her.  
  
#  
  
Remy ditched the Harley a few miles outside the city. As much as he regretted leaving the beautiful piece of machinery, he knew that to keep it would lead to his capture at the hands of the x-men. One of the first things Remy had learned was not to underestimate an opponent, and these x- men were formidable enough as it was. He knew he could always "acquire" another Harley and also had one of his own, but Remy could never get enough stuff and so had to fight his desire to keep the bike. Arriving at his loft downtown, he burst through the door failing to notice the shape standing in the corner. Remy rushed to the bathroom, taking off his shirt on the way, so he could tend to the lacerations on his chest. He was already lightheaded from the blood he had lost on long trip back to the city and needed to mend his wounds. Just as Remy finished, he heard a low chuckle behind him and spun around only to have a rough hand clamped around his throat and lift him into the air. "Very sloppy of ya LeBeau," chuckled Sabertooth, "I thought ya said it was impossible to sneak up on ya."  
  
"As you can see Victor, Remy had some other 'tings to take care of. Besides, I could take you down in my sleep. Now could you put me down so I can finish up, or do ya insist on tryin to cuddle wit moi," Remy grinned as the shock wore off. Sabertooth roared in laughter as he set the Cajun back down to the ground.  
  
"Told ya before Remy, you're not as charming as ya think. So, what skirt kicked your ass tonight? I'd like to meet her if she can tear your scrawny ass up like this," grinned Victor Creed. He had always liked the spunk of Remy; it made him feel young again. The kid was also a survivor, which had created a sort of bond between the two. Creed would still gut him if he ever betrayed him, but he liked Remy as much as a vicious beast like him could like any individual.  
  
"Remy ran into some trouble at the mansion," stated Remy, turning the conversation to business.  
  
"What happened," asked Creed? "Did ya get the files?"  
  
"Yeah, Remy got da files right here," stated Remy as he pulled them out from his waistband and wiggled them in his left hand. "But, I also ran into your former associate Wolverine. For some odd reason, he wasn't inclined to just let Remy walk out of dere mansion. Don worry though; I gave better than I got, as usual. Funny thing dat I noticed, you two fight almost exactly da same. Thankfully Remy just used the same strategy that he does on you when I kick your ass and got da same results wit him."  
  
"So he underestimated you, ya then surprised him with your 'tremendous fighting prowess' and barley made it out alive. Figures. Ya always have been the luckiest sonnova bitch I've ever known. And for the record, the one time ya did beat me, I let ya win. Even pussies need to win a fight now and then to keep their confidence up. Unfortunately, ya seem to think that ya are a badass now and I think maybe I better put ya back in your place as second best." As he said this Creed flopped down on the leather coach, stretching out his cramped body. The x-men were shit individually, but throw them together and they could do some damage. Thankfully his healing factor took care of the damage they had inflicted on him already. Closing his eyes, Victor Creed decided to take a nap while the kid showered.  
  
As Remy hopped in the shower he thought about his odd relationship with Victor Creed. They weren't friends necessarily, as Remy despised the monster that Creed could become, but his respect for Creed's abilities were also there. They had met through Remy's father and had developed a sort of kinship ever since. Creed had furthered the training of Remy LeBeau from what he had learned at his time with the New Orleans thieves guild. The guild, under the supervision of its leader Jean Luc LeBeau, had turned Remy into a master thief. They had also educated him in the more subtle ways of the world and made him a very formidable and self-sustaining person. Out of respect for their help in his development, Remy with the agreement of Jean Luc, had taken the last name of LeBeau so that the thieves guild could take credit for the thieving Remy did. Secretly though, Jean Luc had decided that Remy would be less conspicuous with a last name since he could not use his father's. Creed then trained Remy to be a vicious and relentless fighter, but not like himself. Creed fought with the madness he kept bottled up inside and was able to survive because of his healing factor. Creed knew that Remy had to use his strengths when fighting as Creed himself did. So, Creed taught Remy to use his speed and agility, which resulted in the dangerous fighter that Remy had become. He taught Remy to use his mind and wit to bait his opponents into unfavorable conditions and then eliminate them accordingly. Remy knew that he was not the cold blooded killer that Creed was, but had also learned in his life that being merciful at the wrong time could lead to your early demise. Remy owed Victor Creed for his education in fighting as much as he owed Jean Luc for his thieving abilities and his father for his near mastery of his mutant powers.  
  
Remy got out of the shower and went to his bedroom to get dressed. As he sat on his canopy bed to put on his socks he looked around his room, admiring his collection of wealth. Remy had put a lot of effort into his collection and his downtown loft was where he kept most of it. As a man of taste Remy stole what he liked for his own collection. Money was no longer an issue for him, so Remy stole anything that caught his eye, whether priceless or garbage. He stole it and stored it here for him to admire. In many ways Remy's loft was his personal sanctuary, almost as peaceful as the rooftops of New York at night, but with every comfort. Finally dressed, Remy expanded the potential energy that his body stored to see if Creed was still in the living room. It was a use of his power that Remy was still perfecting. His father had came up with the idea that Remy should be able to expand his potential energy to blanket everything near him. This resting potential energy would then react to any kinetic energy being produced and so alerting Remy to it. At first Remy had questioned the effectiveness of this because of is limited knowledge of kinetic energy. To Remy, kinetic energy was what he used to charge objects and who else could do that. But, his father had explained that any moving thing gave off kinetic energy by moving and so Remy should be able to basically scan and monitor everything in his proximity. This theory soon proved to be correct and ever since Remy had been training himself to master this new aspect of his power. He was almost to the point where could do this scan constantly, but due to the concentration that it took to maintain, it was difficult for Remy to operate. The first time he had tried to do the scan while walking around, he had walked into a wall because of a fly over in the corner had distracted him. Now Remy could subconsciously catalog everything around him and still be normal. Unfortunately there still were some side effects. One being his eyes glowed like a bonfire when he was scanning, and the second being that he wasn't as powerful. Scanning an area took so much of his power that Remy had very little left to "throw around." This was why Remy always had his staff handy so he could fight while still scanning the area. Noting that Creed was still on the coach, Remy grabbed his wallet and keys and headed into the living room.  
  
"Damn kid, I could smell that cologne a mile away. You're going out I take it," grinned Creed. "No wonder ya kicked Logan's ass. He was probably knocked out by your stench."  
  
"Just cause Remy don like smellin like a wet dog, don't mean it be a bad 'ting Creed," smirked Remy. "You know you might get more ladies if you decided ta shower more den once a year. But since you are curious, yes I'm going out. Dis boy need ta get laid after what happened at da mansion tonight. I'd invite you along so you could get somethin to improve your mood, but I'm headin to a club, not a farm."  
  
"Why ya little shit," snarled Creed as he hurled a pillow at Remy, which he easily dodged. "I've had more pieces of ass than your little mind can even comprehend."  
  
"Really, did ya get all this ass when you were in prison?" Remy retorted in good humor.  
  
"If ya get any funnier kid, I'm either gonna to have to put ya on comedy central or kill ya," smiled Creed. "Hey, before ya run off, where do you want me to put the instructions from your father?"  
  
"Put dem in da safe and I will read dem before my meetin tomorrow," Remy said as he walked out the door. "Oh yeah, tell my pere to get pictures to go wit da information we have on dem. Remy wouldn't know any of dese x-men other den Wolverine if they slapped dis boy in the face. And, you better not be here when Remy get home. You might scare my company away." Still with a smile on his face, Creed settled back down to sleep a little longer.  
  
#  
  
Katherine Pryde, Kitty to her friends, was resting at a table with some of her friends when he walked in. He was the most attractive man she had seen in a while and immediately wanted him. He was around 6'1" or so, with long brown hair and a killer body covered in a dark red shirt and black leather pants. Not too tight but tight enough to show off thought the ever fashion conscious Kitty. Oddly he wore a pair of dark sunglasses, but this is New York thought Kitty and so she excused herself from her friends and made her approach.  
  
Remy saw her coming from a mile away and silently laughed on how easy this was going to be. She was about 5'5", thick brown hair that hung to the middle of her back and rather petite. Somewhere in the back of his mind, something told Remy to walk away and head to another club, but he was horny and therefore ignored the silent warning.  
  
Just when Kitty was close to him, her hot prey turned and smiled at her. "You know, they actually have the lights dimmed in here. You probably don't need those sunglasses," Kitty said sweetly with a little cute smile. It was the one thing that Kitty really had going for herself. She might not be "sexy as hell" but she could be cute like there was no tomorrow.  
  
"Tis your beauty chere, it be blindin'," Remy said with a grin. Guys always tried to be smooth and for the most part they failed. Remy knew this however, and so when he delivered his little lines, it was always with a smile. He made it so the girl felt that they had shared a little joke between them and therefore built an intimate connection right away. Once this connection was established, Remy knew that any girl was his. He just had to listen and remember where his loft was. Naturally the girl giggled and introduced herself. He responded by telling her his real name, there was no reason to give her a fake name, and giving her a little kiss on the back of her hand. Another giggle as he knew she would and so he asked her if she wanted a drink. Once again she said yes, he knew this was going to be the phrase of the night, and so they headed to the bar.  
  
Kitty was entranced by Remy. He was so smooth and funny at all the right times. She had about collapsed when he kissed her hand. They talked for a while at the bar, where she drank her little pink drink even though she wasn't 21. Kitty immediately could tell that Remy was a bit of a bad boy and this turned her on even more. Once when he was telling her a story about his hometown of New Orleans she caught herself humming "Make me Bad" by Korn and she didn't even really like hard rock music. Kitty immediately blushed when she noticed that Remy had caught the tune of the song and winked at her. Embarrassed, she grabbed his hand and pulled the chuckling Remy out onto the dance floor.  
  
Time to wrap this all up, thought Remy. He was getting impatient and knew that this could drive her away. The moment that she even thought that she was just a fuck was the moment he had to go looking elsewhere. As the run of songs they had been dancing to ended, he led her back to the bar. "Bout time to leave don you think chere," Remy smiled.  
  
"Um, yeah, just let me tell my friends what's up and order us another drink," Kitty said as she headed back to her former table. How could this be happening she thought. Kitty knew this was out of character for her, she didn't just go home with any cute guy, but he was so sexy. She told her friends what was up and headed back to the bar to finish her last drink for courage. As she finished, Kitty smiled at Remy and indicated she was ready.  
  
Arriving at his loft, Remy knew he had to be careful. That last drink was an indication that she was still a little unsure about whether she wanted to sleep with him and so he would need to talk to her to make her more comfortable about the situation. The problem with this was that he had to be very careful about what he told her because he had some things that he just couldn't let slip. As they sat on the coach he told her more about Louisiana and listened to her talk about how she was still in school, just got back into New York because of some family problems at home. Naturally he asked her where she went to school and she unexpectedly avoided the question, just stating that she went to a private school. Again the signals went off in his head, but as before Remy just ignored them.  
  
Oh god, how could I let this slip she thought. It was the one topic Kitty was very good at staying away from and she had stumbled right into it this time. Anxious to get away from the subject, she told Remy that she had an appointment in the morning and needed to make it an early night.  
  
"Come on chere, Remy don want you ta leave yet," Remy said smiling like a cat. He didn't know what had startled her but he was getting anxious to seal the deal. Thankfully he still had his glasses on and therefore had his trump card. He would bet everything he owned that the next thing Kitty would say was that she would stay if he took off his glasses.  
  
"Well," Kitty smirked, "maybe if you took off your silly sunglasses and asked me real nice, I might stick around." She couldn't understand why Remy was still wearing his sunglasses, but Kitty, always the inquisitive one, really wanted to see if his eyes were as sexy as the rest of him. The part about her needing to leave early was very true, she had to get back to the mansion in the morning, but it was also her ploy to move on from the previous subject. Now she would just see how bad he wanted her to stay.  
  
"All right chere, here goes" Remy said as he slipped off his shades. As usual he was greeted with a gasp, but then again it wasn't quite as usual.  
  
"Oh my god, they are so beautiful," Kitty said as she was lost in his gaze. She had never seen eyes like his before. They were a light brown, but with a slightly reddish tint that matched his hair perfectly. Oddly though, Remy was squinting as if his dimly lit loft was as bright as the sun. "You big jerk," she laughed, "you had me thinking that you had crazy demon eyes or something, hiding behind your sunglasses like you were. I have to say that you have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen, at least when you aren't squinting. Do you have something in your eye because they look all irritated and watery?"  
  
"Non, just have very sensitive eyes, which is why Remy wear da glasses. But enough about dem." Remy smiled as he moved in for a kiss. Thankfully he had remembered to wear his contacts tonight as he usually didn't. They were very uncomfortable since they had to cover his whole eye and personally, Remy hated them. He always felt like he was hiding when he wore the contacts and Remy prided himself on not hiding from anything.  
  
Kitty was just thinking that there was something very odd about Remy's eyes as he moved in for a kiss. Setting the thought aside, she put her arms around him and met his lips with hers. Pure heaven Kitty thought as she was engulfed in the pleasure of the moment and as he led her to the bedroom, Kitty knew that it was going to be a very long night.  
  
#  
  
Jean Grey once again checked Logan's vitals out of habit. Logan would be fine, but she still needed to keep an eye on him just in case. Hank would be taking over the watch in about an hour so she could get some sleep, but until he did all Jean could do was wait and think about how a boy could do this to Logan. Jean and the other x-men had rushed into the mansion when they heard Marie's screams. What greeted them was a sight that Jean knew she could go without seeing ever again. Logan had a crater in his upper abdomen along with other minor injuries covering the rest of his body. Surprisingly there was very little blood as the wound seemed to have been cauterized. Logan had confirmed this when he had shortly regained consciousness. He had also said that despite the horrendous damage to his person that he was slowly healing. Once again Jean noted that Logan had been correct in his assessment. It was pure luck that he had survived the wounds. The blast had cauterized the wounds, which had actually saved Logan's life. Since he wasn't bleeding profusely, as he would have without the cauterization, his healing factor wasn't completely overloaded and had started mending his wounds up. Jean then telekinetically carried him to the med lab where she and Hank set up the IV's. A little later Professor Xavier had telepathically contacted her to check on Logan's status and inform her that there would be a meeting in the morning concerning the attack. Jean asked him why not tonight, but Xavier told her that he needed to get all of the surveillance tapes ready and also hoped that Logan would be able to join them if they waited. Xavier had strongly expressed his need for Logan's side of the story so that the x-men could view the incident in its entirety. Jean sensed from the Professor's tone that there was something that he wasn't telling her, but she figured that if it was that important he would have told her. Lost in thought, Jean failed to notice Hank McCoy come to the lab in relief and so Jean went to bed with a mind full of questions. Like all the x-men she would have to wait until morning to these answered.  
  
  
  
*Begin Disclaimer* I don't own any of this stuff. I don't own the X-men but I do have a six- pack of beer that is all mine. Anyways, yada yada yada, don't sue me. Oh yeah, I also don't own Korn or their awesome music. *End Disclaimer*  
  
A/N  
  
Here's chapter 2, I hope you all like it. A little slow, but that's how it has to be. I was actually debating whether to add the last part back at the mansion or leave it for the next chapter. Obviously I kept it in, mostly because I thought that it would be very mean to leave it out. Also, it keeps the time of events occurring at different areas along the same line. As for some of the comments in the reviews, here is a little input from the author. As far as the Remy/Marie connection, I kinda want to stay away from it. Not that there won't be hints of relationships, flirting and ect, but I want to keep away from the romance and angst that is in many stories. Not that those qualities aren't good in other stories, I just don't think I can write that particular type of drama correctly. The whole goal of this story is to inject some new aspects into the introduction of Gambit, while still keeping as true to what I remember of the comics. So far these changes are in Remy's past, mainly his dealings with the thieves guild as well as his relationship with Victor Creed. I'd always had a soft spot for Sabertooth and want to emphasize the similarities between him and Logan. Also Remy's "scanning ability" is an original concept that I've sort of borrowed from Valerie Jones's "Paradox Law" story, which is very good. Concerning the question I received about the other students attending the Xavier Institute, I guess I failed in addressing the fact that the school is closed during the summer as Xavier is still fine-tuning his team. This means that barring special situations (which there obviously aren't any), no students are around during the summer, just the team members. I do appreciate that question though, and will address any others concerning aspects of the story that I might fail to clearly address. Remember that as the author, I know what is going on and sometimes what is clear to me is only vaguely implied in the story. Next chapter will be on the events of the following day. Hopefully I will introduce the rest of the x-men and one of the main villains. It just depends on how everything flows from my mind to the computer. Keep reading and reviewing since both are greatly appreciated. Oh yeah, I will also be posting little updates in the review area for those who are curious about future chapters and my writing progress. Late. 


	3. Answers

Smooth Criminal By Meeyr  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Anything with *'s means telepathic talk, just thought you should know  
  
BAM! BAM! BAM! Wake up and let me in Remy, you're going to be late!  
  
Remy's eyes shot open as his dreams and sleep faded into acute awareness. He hastily looked over to the other side of the bed only to find it remarkably empty. Girl must already left, Remy thought, though he was immediately confused about how what's-her-name had left his apartment so silently that he hadn't noticed. Apparently she had also locked his door on her way out, but this only added to his confusion since the door only had a deadbolt lock. As he expelled this minor mystery from his thoughts, Remy put on some boxers, a tank top and then headed to the door to greet the individual responsible for his courteous wake up call.  
  
"If ya wanted ta profess your love for moi Birdy, ya sure picked a poor time ta do it," Remy said with a grin as he opened the door with a sweep of his arm to allow the stunning blonde into his home. She was around 5'9"with long golden hair tied back in a pony tail and a spectacular figure that was only accented by a mid-thigh black skirt and a rather tight red button-up shirt, both of which were partially covered by an ankle length leather jacket. If it were any other woman, Remy knew that he would pull out all the stops to get her for a night, but Birdy was almost as dangerous as she was beautiful and also Victor Creed's personal assistant. This, of course, and Remy's tremendous respect for Birdy made her off limits and safe from his charm.  
  
"Oh yes Remy, I desperately love you. Take me right now." Birdy laughed as she threw her arms around his neck and ruffled his mangy hair. "On second thought, how about you get your less-then charming ass in the shower right now before we are both late and Mister Creed personally disembowels us."  
  
"You know Birdy, you have been working for Victor about 4 years now, I'm sure you have earned the right to call him by his first name."  
  
"I guess I could do that Remy, but, unlike you, some of us are professionals when it comes to both our jobs and employers. Mister Creed has never given me permission to address him so casually and so I don't. I really fail to understand why I have to go over this every time we talk," Birdy said as she sat at the kitchen counter, resting a briefcase in front of her and her ankle length leather jacket on the stool beside her. "But enough of that, I told you to get in the shower, now hurry up because the meeting's at 12:00 and it's already 10:00."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I read ya loud'n clear chere," Remy mumbled as he went into the bathroom.  
  
20 minutes later Remy reluctantly exited the shower and dried himself off, though only after Birdy had crept in and flushed the toilet to motivate him. After this, Remy went to his bedroom, got dressed, putting on a faded pair of loose jeans and a plain white t-shirt and then headed to the kitchen where his morning coffee and cigarette waited, courtesy of his lovely guest. "So what's so important Birdy dat Remy be receivin' your lovely presence dis mornin'?" Remy asked as he leaned on the counter across from Birdy and took a sip of his coffee.  
  
"Mister Creed suspected that you would have a long night so he instructed me to come over personally to wake you up and get you prepared for today's meeting. I will assume from your apparent laziness that Mister Creed was correct in his assessment and your evening was a successful one," Birdy said rhetorically. She then opened up her briefcase and pulled out three manila folders, which she handed to him, one being the exact folder Remy procured last night. "Actually, lets not talk about that yet, business first. That first folder is the updated file on the x-men, complete with additions from the information you acquired last night as well as the pictures you requested. The second is your instructions from your father, which Mister Creed brought over last night. Mister Creed thought it would be best if he just gave them to me so that you would actually go over them. The third is, of course, the files that you were hired to get, slightly altered as decided by your father."  
  
Remy, now in business mode, leafed quickly through the x-men files mainly as a formality. He would study the pictures later when he had time. "How is the old man doing anyway?" Remy asked absently as he prepared to open his instructions.  
  
"He's still sick, though it comes and goes as usual. Thankfully the virus hasn't spread or become transmittable which would make things much worse. Unfortunately I think that Mister Essex is worried that he is running out of time because he was very adamant that you read his instructions immediately."  
  
A worried frown creased Remy's brow as he proceeded to read his instructions.  
  
Remy,  
  
As you have known for a while, I am very ill and it seems that everything in my immediate power is useless to cure me. I have, however, discovered some new information that might allow me to finally cure myself though there is a cost. I have entered into an agreement with a mutant named the Shadow King, which is why I had you acquire the files from the Xavier institution. The Shadow King is a bodiless psionic entity that resides almost entirely in the astral plane and has tremendous telepathic powers. From what I have gathered, it seems that he used to have his own body; but Charles Xavier, the owner of the Xavier Institution, destroyed it many years ago, therefore forcing the Shadow King to take host bodies in order to exist on our plane of existence. Unfortunately for him, the Shadow King apparently loses a portion of his strength every time he takes a new host. With his powers draining, the Shadow King now has found an alpha-class mutant host and apparently wants to destroy Xavier while he sill has enough power to do so. This is why he wants information about Xavier and his school, or so he says. In exchange for this information, the Shadow King has agreed to give me some of his hosts infected mutant DNA. With this contaminated DNA, I might be able to figure out his mutant sequence and alter my own enough to transfer out of this failing body and into another.  
  
Remy, I can't stress enough that you should in no way trust the Shadow King. I have a strange feeling that he may have left out some details of his plans because individuals such as he are not merely satisfied with revenge. If you stumble upon any further information of his plans, contact me immediately and be prepared to take all necessary actions needed to prevent him from succeeding in his objective. I have asked Birdy to accompany both you and Victor, to help prevent the Shadow King from taking either of you as a host even though that was a stipulation in our agreement. I realize that you have exceptionally strong mental defenses, but know that the Shadow King is tremendously powerful. But, for the time being, accommodate his requests, as you will be under his command. Remember, you are to gain his trust while working for him so that we can deduce what his true plans are.  
  
-Essex.  
  
Without another glance at the letter Remy grabbed the lighter resting on the kitchen and reduced the letter to ashes. Still lost in thought, Remy put the other folders into the briefcase, closed it and moved to the door with only a "let's go Birdy" and a determined expression as a glimpse into his thoughts.  
  
#  
  
~"Gambit don remember any of da oompa loompas of Charlie and the Chocolate bein' dis vicious. You musta been a reject, eh homme," Logan heard as he stalked the thief called Gambit. Charging, Logan ducked under the kid's staff and delivered a fatal blow towards the thief's chest. Damn this kid is fast, thought Logan as his claws just grazed his opponent's chest. Logan tracked the kid's spin behind him with his turned head to see him reach for something in his pocket and in a last desperate move Logan threw a backhanded slash towards the Cajun's head. As he saw the thief duck under his desperate attack, all Logan could think was "I'm fucked" and then darkness took him. ~  
  
Logan burst into an upright position and instinctively swung his head around in panic only to groan at the severe pain that spread through his body. As his mind finally caught up with the rest him, Logan settled down and looked over his body. With his bed sheet now clumped at his waist, Logan could see the faint remnants of a whole in his upper abdomen as well as nearly healed burns that covered the rest of his chest. Kid musta really brought the wood if I'm still healin', thought Logan. The mere thought of that damn punk pissed Logan off to no end. He always proclaimed himself the "best at what he did" and to have some kid kick his ass severely injured Logan's great pride.  
  
"You are so much like a hero in a Greek tragedy my friend," said Professor Charles Xavier with a smile as he wheeled himself into the room, "you hubris is your only flaw. Thankfully for myself and the x-men, your pride was not fatal this time."  
  
"Well Chuck, I don't think my ass can get any closer to fatal than it was. But, for god's sake, save the education lesson for yur students. My head hurts too much as it is without you tryin to make me think," Logan grinned back. He had always respected Xavier and while this dream of his wasn't Logan's exact cup o tea, it was his respect for Chuck that made him come back. "So, did you guys figure out the identity and catch the punk that roughed me up last night?"  
  
"No, to this point we have been concerned solely with your health. I deemed that the investigation could wait until you were able to give your account of the attack to couple with our surveillance tapes. If you feel up to it, I was wondering if you would accompany me to the war room where we can evaluate the situation. The whole team is almost there with a few exceptions and lunch will be included with your presence.  
  
At the mention of food, Logan's stomach grumbled loudly and he decided that he would head down with Xavier. "So what's new around here Chuck?" Logan asked abruptly.  
  
"Well since your sabbatical, we have increased our roster considerably. The new additions that will be present are Dr. Henry McCoy, named Beast, Samuel Guthrie, named Cannonball, and Jubilation Lee or Jubilee. They are all waiting for us, as well as Marie who has joined our ranks. Yes before you ask, she is well and was by your side as long as we let her. We have two other team members who haven't arrived yet and they are Katherine Pryde, named Shadowcat and Robert Drake, called Iceman. Robert was a student here when you left; you might remember him when you see him. Well here we are," said Xavier as they came to a shiny door that suddenly slid open.  
  
As Logan walked into the room, he was suddenly bombarded with a huge hug from Marie.  
  
"Logan, I missed you so much," said a glowing Marie as she released her crushing hug. "It's great to have you back."  
  
These sentiments were echoed in various degrees by the other x-men who had been around before he left. Logan surveyed the room to see Jean, Scott, and Ororo of course as well as a short stocky guy that had the build of a gorilla and wore glasses, a tall blonde kid with goggles that rested on a head full of spiked hair and a small Asian girl with a bright yellow jacket that gave him a sweet smile and a not-so-sweet wink. Also present was Marie who Logan immediately noticed had grown remarkably in his absence. Sitting himself beside Marie, Logan took a bite of the food in front of him and asked," when do we start?"  
  
"We will start now if that is all right with everyone. I would have preferred to wait for Bobby and Katherine, but apparently they have been delayed," Xavier stated looking around the table. "I want to first examine the surveillance tapes and then we can proceed with your account Logan. Oh, it seems Katherine has just arrived, Jubilation would you go upstairs and bring her down here. Be sure to fill her in on recent events as well, so that she is abreast of the situation. Thank you."  
  
#  
  
Katherine Pryde was so embarrassed that she was late that her cheeks had taken on a rose color. It didn't help that her reason was due to an all night encounter with a guy. She flushed even deeper when her friend Jubilee asked her why she was so flushed. Since she knew that Jubilee would not stop hounding her until she told her, Kitty quickly revealed her little secret to her friend as well as most of the details.  
  
"Long auburn hair, devilish smile, tight body and great in bed. Oh my god Kitty, since when did you become such a player?" grinned Jubilee.  
  
"It's not like that Jubes, he was just so hot that I had to have him. Hell, even I have trouble believing what I did. I was so embarrassed this morning that I left before he could wake up. God I feel like such a slut."  
  
"Hey now," Jubilee said as she escorted Kitty down the stairs," if this one one-night-stand makes you a slut, I'd hate to think of what I'm considered. Speaking of hot guys, you remember the stories we've heard about Logan from everybody. Well he's back and it seems our lovely teammates failed to mention that he is straight smokin'. Oh shit, I almost forgot to tell you the whole story. Apparently some dude broke into the mansion and Logan caught him in the act. Unfortunately Logan also caught an ass kickin that laid him up in the infirmary for the night. We just started investigating the whole thing right before you showed up.  
  
Which is why you two need to stop socializing and hurry up, Xavier said to them telepathically with more than a bit of impatience.  
  
"I've changed my mind slightly and would actually like to hear your version of the story first Logan instead of showing you all the surveillance tapes," Xavier said as Kitty and Jubilee took their seats.  
  
"Ok, here goes. So I got to the mansion last night and decided to surprise everybody with bein back and all. But when I walked through the door, I caught a whiff of a scent that I had never smelled before. At first I thought nothing of it but then noticed that it was coming from your office Chuck. So, I burst in only to find some kid standing behind your desk with a folder in his hand."  
  
"What did he look like?" interrupted Scott Summers. Being the guy he was, Scott had been up all night worrying about this mysterious break in and the young man who had done it. Thankfully, though he would never tell, Scott was extremely thankful that Logan had returned to disrupt the intruder. Well, maybe he was just happy to have old Logan back anyway, things had been getting rather dull lately.  
  
"As I was sayin' one-eye, I found this kid standing behind Chuck's desk with his back toward me with a folder in his hand. Since it was dark, I couldn't really see what he looked like at first, other than he was about 6'2"ish and fairly skinny. I'll be honest, kid didn't look like much, and I thought he'd piss his pants since I'd caught him," Logan said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Obviously I was wrong, which I painfully found out when I told the punk to turn around and he did something to an object that he had hidden up his sleeve and threw it at me. Whatever it was, thought I think it was a playing card, blew up when it hit me, kinda like a bomb. We then got into it, with him getting the best of me in the end. I'll spare ya the little details."  
  
"Actually, I would like to hear a bit more about him kicking the shit out of you, if you don't mind," smiled Scott. If it wasn't for the fact that this kid had broke into the mansion Scott could really enjoy this moment. It wasn't everyday that he got to hear about how Logan got his ass beat by a kid.  
  
"Unfortunately we don't have time for a full account Scott," Jean Grey said with a look of disapproval towards her boyfriend, "so if you could just give us the important details Logan, we can move on to the video camera footage."  
  
"Thanks Jeannie," Logan said as he shot her a grin before he started again. "Guess I'll start with the norm. Kid called himself Gambit, talked with a southern accent, some gutter French, and sometimes in the third person, which was fairly fuckin' annoyin'. Was, like I said earlier, 'bout 6'2", long auburn hair, and skinny but muscular. You know what I mean. Kid also had some weird eyes. They were all black with red irises that glowed, and shocked the shit out of me when I first saw him. As for his abilities, the kid can fight, plain and simple, even without his powers. He mainly uses a bo staff, but probably can fight hand to hand as well. With his powers, he is extremely dangerous but not unbeatable by any means. Basically, if I would've kept my head like a professional, I would have introduced him into a world of pain. As for his powers, this Gambit does somethin' to objects that make them glow and then explode. He can see in the dark like a fuckin' cat, probably thanks to his eyes, and is very agile which also might be a part of his powers. In short, he is a trained fighter and a very good thief who is dangerous and has an interest in the school. He also seemed to know who I was and what my powers were while also implying that he knew about the team. What I want to know, Chuck, is what did he steal?" Logan finished with a look towards Xavier.  
  
Charles had not wanted to say anything about this yet, but since Logan had forced his hand he did. "Ever since I decided to start this school, I have kept notes on mutants I meet, their powers, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. I named these files the Xavier Protocols and this information was hidden in my office. This Gambit has stolen these files and therefore either he or an employer now knows all of your strengths and how to defeat each of you individually."  
  
Charles's words were met with shocked expressions on each and every face in the war room. He could tell that they all now knew the importance of catching this thief as quickly as possible. If this information got out, the government, evil mutants, anybody could be extremely dangerous to the x- men.  
  
"Maybe we should look at those video tapes Professor," said a now composed Ororo Munroe, which broke the heavy silence in the room.  
  
This thought was echoed around the room, and the Professor put in the video.  
  
"I took a look at this last night in order to find the area's that would be useful. As Logan has stated, Gambit is apparently a very good thief and didn't leave much video footage to work with. One aspect that Logan failed to address is that this thief is very cocky and so, left us a little message from my office which I will play."  
  
The lights in the war room dimmed as the television switched from static to picture. All that was visible was the hallway upstairs, with apparently nobody in it. As the camera panned across the room, there was no sound, just the shadows that came with the darkness. This static environment continued for a while until two red circles shined from the shadows by the stairs. They traveled quickly from the view of the camera soon invisible again. Still no sounds, or any others signs that there was an intruder until a shadow moved from its cover and raced to the doorway of Xavier's office. The now visible Gambit had his back to the camera and was pressing his ear up to the door, apparently listening for any sounds. The video showed the thief visibly relax, pick the door's lock and enter Xavier's office with a brief wave at the camera. The video then switched to the interior view of Xavier's office, panning slowly away from the door and just missing a clear shot of the intruder. Then as the camera panned back across the room, Gambit was gone, apparently nowhere to be found. The camera panned across the room again and again for a minute without giving a clue to the thief's whereabouts. Suddenly, Gambit's face appeared right in front of the camera shaking a finger back and forth. "Uh uh, non peakin'" the he said with a grin right before the picture flashed out.  
  
Kitty was tired. While the rest of the x-men viewed the video, she had rested her head on her arms and tried to relax. She knew that she should feel guilty about not paying attention, but what would she see on a video that all the rest of the x-men wouldn't. Then, just as she closed her eyes she heard a deep sexy voice that was all to familiar to her and her head shot up in a panic while she said the only that could come to her mind, "Holy Shit!"  
  
Everyone's head in the war room swiveled towards Kitty as she sat in shock, staring at the picture that was now frozen on the monitor.  
  
"Something to add Katherine," Xavier said rather impatiently. He had noticed her dozing off as the video was playing, and this coupled with the fact that she interrupted their viewing had begun to try his patience. Professor Charles Xavier was in no way prepared for what she said next.  
  
"Yes Professor, I know who he is!"  
  
The room was silent.  
Disclaimer: Nothing in this story is mine, so don't sue me.  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Wow, has it been a long time since I updated this. I know that this isn't exactly the size of update that many of you wanted, but I am only one man and I still have writers block. Three months of trying to put out a new chapter and this is all I can come up with. I mean I know where I want it to go, but it is so hard to get there. Summertime is here and that kicks ass. I am moving into a new place that actually has the internet, so look for more updates in the near future. Oh yeah, I saw X-men 2 which I thought was well done. Brian Signer kicks ass so it's not like it is that surprising though with the new movie out I kinda feel dumb about making this a sequel to the first one. I've thought about changing the beginning to fit better but who knows.I will at least notify you all if I do. Thanks to everybody that has reviewed, your reviews have made this chapter possible by forcing me to write even when I had no idea what to say. I haven't received any suggestions on improving the story and I that it isn't perfect, so don't be shy. I am a big kid that can take a little constructive criticism. Once again, I am sorry for the shortness of this chapter and remember that you still have a preview to the next chapter. Late. 


End file.
